Fate Intervenes
by Ethereal Light
Summary: Seventh Year is dawning as a new action packed year at Hogwarts await Lily Evans. But now, she has to encounter a new James Potter, a different side altogether. Will she continue to hate him or will fate intervene? /discontinued/
1. Summer Surprises

**Fate Intervenes**

**Disclaimer: **We do not own Harry Potter. All credits go to the almighty and wonderful J.K Rowling.

**Summer Surprises **

The alarm clock was ringing loudly, filling the room with its annoying beeping. A hand was extended wearily from the emerald quilt of the bed, hitting the Snooze button.

Lily Evans snuggled further into her blankets, feeling sleep still lingering in her head. Stray locks of her long, flaming auburn hair fell over her fair, heart-shaped face. The peace was not to last very long.

"Lily, honey, time to get up!"

Diana Evans' cheery voice cut through the misty shroud of sleep that lingered in Lily's room.

"Mnnm," was the sleepy response.

Diana rolled her eyes and smiled as she walked to the foot of Lily's bed and tried yanking hard on the covers. But, apparently, Lily had devised a new trick for **that** technique. Diana found that, no matter how hard she tried, the blankets wouldn't budge.

"Lily!" The older woman laughed, attempting another half-hearted yank, "Come on!"

One of Lily's eyes blinked open as she joined her mother's mirth.

"I've got a plan Mum…I've got a plan…"

000

Lily was expecting to see the usual scene at breakfast; her father Rob sitting at the table, his nose buried in the Daily newspaper and her sister Petunia eating her food.

What she was **not** expecting was the streamers hung up in the doorway, the multicoloured balloons tied to the ceiling shafts, the presents laden on the breakfast table and the group of people who greeted her.

"Happy Birthday Lily!"

There was Rob Evans, standing next to the breakfast table, beaming at his youngest daughter. There was Petunia Evans, Lily's older sister, tall, slim and blonde, smiling in a slightly nervous way but, nevertheless, still smiling.

There was Rianne Greenshaw, Alice Times, Emily Warren, Hestia Jones, Emmeline Vance and Andrea Greengrass, some of Lily's closest friends from her house Gryffindor and from Ravenclaw at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For, as many would have guessed already, Lily Evans was now a seventeen-year-old witch.

"_Avis_!" Rianne called out as she raised her wand.

There was a loud bang, causing Petunia to shriek, and a flurry of birds exploded from the tip of Rianne's wand. Lily laughed in surprise and delight as she was lead toward the dining table.

Hugging her parents, Lily thanked them over and over. Then, she turned to her sister and hugged the tall girl as well, noting how tall Petunia had become lately. Lastly, she hugged her Hogwarts friends.

"How did you know-" Lily began in amazement.

"That your birthday was on the twenty eighth of August?" Alice finished for her, smiling.

Lily nodded, dumbstruck. Her Hogwarts friends were mainly purebloods, from complete wizarding families, unused to the Muggle (Non-magic folk) workings. What was more was that each of them were dressed exactly like normal Muggle girls out shopping on a Saturday.

"A little bird whispered in our ears," Emily said, smiling whimsically.

"And now…presents!" Rianne exclaimed impatiently, causing many to laugh.

000

"Wake up Prongs!" a loud, slightly obnoxious-sounding voice of Sirius Black disturbed the silence of the room.

When the snoring seventeen-year-old boy lying in his bed did not stir, his best mate sighed and pulled away the covers. Unlike Lily, James Potter had not devised a counter tactic to this move and he was immediately awakened as the slightly cool morning air blasted his pajama-clad body.

"ARGH! Padfoot!" the boy yelled angrily and shuddering as the cool air froze his exposed feet.

"Had to wake you up," Sirius said a-matter-of-factly.

The other scrambled up and glared at his friend.

"Did you have to do it so painfully?"

Sirius grinned in a slightly apologetic way.

"Hey sorry mate."

James grinned, his original shock wearing off, as he put on his glasses and, to Sirius's surprise, did **not** ruffle his hair, a habit the boy had developed ever since his Quidditch had brought him up a scale on the popularity ladder.

"Come on. Breakfast time!"

000

"Thank you!" Lily cried in delight as she unwrapped her last present, an elegant leather-bound book entitled: _Myths and Legends; Magical animals, properties and more_ by Abigail Dewtree.

Her onlookers just smiled as Lily carefully placed her presents on the ground beside her. Unfortunately, it was just about time to leave. One by one, Lily's friends Disapparated (giving Petunia a few minutes of simultaneous alarm) after Lily had given them each a hug.

And after a final thank you to her family members, Lily rushed upstairs to inspect her gifts. Sitting on the cream coloured carpet in her room, Lily went through her presents one by one.

First, there was the present from Rianne, a large box of her favourite Honeydukes chocolate and a packet of Sugar Quills that Lily adored. Next, Alice had given her an elegant eagle feather quill Lily had wanted for so long and a deluxe supply of the best ink in Flourish and Blotts.

Hestia had given Lily a _Unicorns and their magical properties_ book; a sparkling silver covered book with a photo of a live unicorn on the cover. The picture, as it did in the wizarding world, was moving; a unicorn rearing on its hind legs and galloping in and out of the photo.

Andrea had given Lily a large packet of Cauldron Cakes as well as a handy little diary that shouted out memos as you wrote in them. Emily had bought Lily a set of Gobstones, a wizarding game, that Lily adored playing. And Emmeline had given the book by Abigail Dewtree.

Lily smiled in satisfaction as she laid the gifts carefully aside and started admiring her presents from the family. Petunia had given her younger sister a hand-crafted photo frame as well as a stationary set, decorated with purple lilacs.

And her parents had presented her with a beautiful silver necklace, a swan at the end, neck curving gracefully. Lily had been awestruck by the delicacy and the magnificence of the piece of jewellery.

But before Lily had a chance to further marvel the beauty of the necklace, she heard Petunia's usual high-pitched shriek.

"OWLS!"

Sighing a little, Lily placed the photo frame on the table as well as her necklace and rushed downstairs to witness the commotion.

000

"I'm finished!" James announced happily as he pushed back the plate and his chair in the process, "That was delicious Mum."

Lauren Potter smiled gratefully as she watched Sirius shovel the rest of his scrambled eggs into his mouth and spring up with James. Her husband, David, winked at her.

"Thanks Mrs. Potter," Sirius said, wiping his mouth.

"Oh don't be silly Sirius!" Lauren admonished, "Here, you call me Lauren or even Mum if you want to! Don't be so formal!"

Sirius responded by letting a large belch escape his mouth. Laughter escaped from everyone as Lauren added, "And here, your table manners can be equivelent to James too."

Their little amusement didn't last very long as a loud, interrupting tap on the window brought everyone's attention. A regal-looking Tawny Owl and a handsome Screech owl were perched on the windowsill, looking expectantly inside.

"Oh silly me!" Lauren exclaimed, "I forgot to open the windows."

She stood up and unlocked the windows as the two owls fluttered in. The Tawny owl immediately dropped two letters onto the table, gave a hoot and promptly took off through the window again. The Screech owl fluttered to James, who grinned and took the letter from its outstretched talons.

"Thanks Streak," James said, stroking the owl's feathers.

The owl hooted and fluttered to the perch in the living room, closing his eyes. James smiled and passed the letter to Sirius.

Lauren had finished scanning the address and passed the letters to James and Sirius.

"They're your school lists," she said, smiling as she sat back into her seat.

"Thanks Mum," James said.

"Thanks…Lauren," Sirius added.

Lauren could only exchange smiles with David as the two boys quickly slit open the letters and pulled out the parchment…

000

The kitchen was in less commotion as earlier, although that wasn't saying much, as Petunia cowered as far as she could in her kitchen stool and two owls perched on the chairs beside her.

"'Tunia!" Lily exclaimed, staring incredously at her sister, "You should have gotten used to them by now!"

Petunia merely glared at her before closing her eyes and cowering further back into her chair as several feathers fell in her hair.

Lily sighed and walked forward, recognizing one of the owls as her own Barn owl Nyra and another, a handsome Spotted owl. Nyra gave a hoot and fluttered onto Lily's arm. The other owl dropped the letter into Lily's hands and took off again.

Leading Nyra to the sofa, Lily glanced at the letter she had taken from the Spotted Owl. Recognizing the familiar crest and green ink, she let out a cry of surprise.

"It's my Hogwarts letter!"

Diana and Rob walked to Lily and stood beside her as Lily opened the flap and pulled out a piece of yellow parchment. But before the girl could read the content of the letter, a shiny badge fell from the envelope, landing, with a clatter, on the dining table.

Lily's almond-shaped emerald eyes widened as she recognized the badge. With trembling hands, she picked up the badge, amidst curious looks from her parents.

"I've been made Head Girl!" Lily exclaimed as the shiny letters engraved on the badge confirmed her hunch.

000

"Head Boy?" Sirius gawked.

There was total silence in the kitchen as James clutched the shiny badge in his hands, face filled with disbelief as he gazed at the engraved letters on the surface.

He was not the only one dumbstruck at this peculiar choice. Lauren and David were both staring at their son in shock and Sirius was simply gawking at his fellow troublemaker best mate, who had just received a position in Hogwarts as the most authorative.

"Head Boy?" Sirius repeated, a shadow of an old grin returning to his face, "Hey mate…you could give me detention!"

"I can't believe it," Lauren said quietly, breaking the silence that lingered between James' parents, "Head boy…head boy…you've been made HEAD BOY! Oh James!"

James let out a nervous laugh as she stood up and came charging toward him like a feminine bull, enveloping him in a bear hug.

"Mum…"

She pulled away from him and shot David a tearful smile.

"James! Head Boy? Can you believe it? Oh honey…congratulations!"

000

"Oh Lily!" Diana was screaming as she hugged her younger daughter, "Head Girl! Head Girl! Oh, congratulations!"

Rob was looking impressively around, as if hoping the neighbour would pop his head in and see that the youngest Evans had just received a position of Head Girl at her magical boarding school.

Teary-eyed, Diana pinned the badge onto Lily's shirt, stepping back and looking at the effect with proud, emerald eyes.

"It'll obviously look much better on your school uniform…must get you something special, I mean the necklace is not nearly as good enough now that you have **_this_**…I should give you my old antique earrings…you can have your ears pierced and…oh **_Lily_**!"

Lily was feeling downright uncomfortable now. Yes, she was elated that she was Head Girl but she couldn't help but feel guilty at the look on Petunia's face. Her older sister had been engaged recently to a man named Vernon Dursley.

Diana and Rob had not fussed over Petunia for getting **engaged** but they were in raptures over Lily's anecdote. Perhaps it was because Vernon was not exactly the best man Lily thought Petunia deserved.

Vernon Dursley was, in Lily's opinion, a pompous git. He was rather…_plump_. Okay…he was more than plump. And he didn't really seem to like Lily. The redhead was amazed Petunia had not told him her sister was a witch yet.

Laughing awkwardly, Lily pulled herself away from her mother and gathered the envelope and letter up.

"I'll be in my room Mum."

000

"Oh Jamesy, Jamesy!" Sirius laughed, "Oh, Head **BOY**? I can't believe it! Congratulations! Oh my baby boy is all grown up!"

"Cut it out Sirius," James mumbled, slightly annoyed at the high-pitched voice Sirius had adopted.

His best mate grinned in his cheeky way and began tearing at his own letter. Several booklists fell out of the yellowed envelopes as well as some other notes reporting some misbehaviour at school.

"What have you got for me this time boys?" Lauren sighed, snapped out of her monolog of Head Boy James already, as she appeared in the doorway of their bedroom, "Two more notes in my ever-growing collection?"

"Four," James corrected, grinning slighty.

Lauren sighed, rolling her eyes as she strode forward and snatched the trouble notes off Sirius and James. Scanning the pages quickly, Lauren let out a half-hearted cry of esperation.

"Sirius! Since when have you taken an interest in blowing up toilets?"

000

Sighing, Lily flopped eagle-spread on her bedsheets, closing her eyes briefly. What a long day it had been! She had received a surprise birthday party as well as a Head Girl badge.

Her mother had arranged for a trip in Diagon Alley to buy her usual school supplies (Petunia had starkly refused to go, mumbling something about tea at Vernon's) the day after tomorrow.

Frankly, Lily was exhausted enough. She had put on her silver swan necklace already and she loved the silvery effect. She had not bothered to change out of her pajamas so she was still in her light pink pants and matching top and fluffy slippers. Right now, the seventeen year old felt too tired to move.

"Lily! Dinner!"

"Can I have it upstairs?" Lily shouted back.

She was not usually that spoilt- her legs just didn't feel like moving. Downstairs, Lily heard Petunia's disapproving sniff as Diana relented and shouted back.

"Do you want me to bring it to you?"

"Don't bother Mum," Lily smiled and raised her wand, "_Accio dinner_!"

There was a clanging sound and Lily grinned as she saw a bowl of mushroom soup, a plate of spaghetti and a bowl of salad came zooming into her room and landing with a neat plonk on her table.

As the fork, spoon and knife settled with a clatter on her table, Lily couldn't help but let out a giggle. Magic was sure convenient!

000

"That was the most delicious dinner mother," James said in a deep voice, flashing Lauren one of his charming grins.

Lauren sighed and laughed and little as she pulled out her wand and muttered an incantation. The dirty plates immediately zoomed over to the sink and began washing themselves.

Sirius smiled and thanked Lauren and ran after James. Lauren sighed and sat back down on her table, staring at the boys' retreating backs.

"They've really grown up during the holidays," David Potter observed aloud, causing his wife to glance over at him.

"Yes David…I suppose they have."

_**Author's Note **_

_And yet another repost with our Lily/James story: Fate Entwines. Only this time, the title has been changed to: Fate Intervenes. And it is set (as you can tell) in Lily and James' seventh year at Hogwarts._

_We plan to make this very detailed so chapters will take longer to write. How was this 'improved' chapter? Lily is now in Gryffindor and we have changed the characters and houses a little._

_Anyway, how did we go this time? Please review and tell us!_

**_Eternal Phoenix and Moonlight Mage_**


	2. Aboard the Scarlet Train

**Fate Intervenes**

**Disclaimer: **Harry Potter is, by no means, ours. All characters and objects belong to J.K Rowling.

**Aboard the Scarlet Train **

Lily looked mournfully at the solid-looking barrier behind her. That was probably the last time she would ever pass through the barrier to Platform Nine and three quarters until she was seeing her own child off to Hogwarts.

_Not that I'm sure I'll even marry someone let alone have a child_ She mused, smiling a little.

"Have a **great** year honey!" Diana Evans said tearfully, kissing her daughter on the cheek.

"Write to us often," Rob Evans put in gruffly and patted her shoulder.

"Bye Mum…bye Dad," Lily said, smiling at her parents.

She turned and faced Petunia, still standing far off from her little sister.

"Bye 'Tunia," Lily said, a trace of disappointment in her voice at her sister's disapproval, "See you soon."

"Yeah…" Was the vague reply.

Turning from her family, Lily gripped her trolley hard and started running toward the barrier. Feeling a rush of smooth coolness, she emerged onto Platform Nine and Three Quarters.

The Hogwarts Express was already there, the scarlet engine puffing steadily in a stream of grey smoke. Mesmerized, Lily stared at the wondrous train that had carried her halfway across the country to Hogwarts for almost six years.

"Lily!" Someone yelled from behind her, snapping her from her reverie.

Lily turned to see Alice hurrying toward her, looking positively wild. Before the redhead had time to comprehend the approaching girl, Alice had reached her and pulled her into a hug.

"I heard you'd been made Head Girl!" Alice shrieked, almost deafening the poor girl she was currently attacking, "Congratulations!"

"T-Thanks Alice!" Lily stammered, caught off guard by her friend's enthusiasm.

Alice smiled happily, her dark brown eyes glittering with excitement. And the ice was broken. The pair started chattering happily as they loaded their luggage onto the train. Lily and Alice wandered around, Lily wanting to get Alice a compartment before she left for the Heads compartment.

"It's so crowded nowadays!" Alice observed, glancing around at the compartments already overflowing with students, "It seems the older kids are taking up two or three just for themselves."

"I know," Lily agreed.

"Hey, this one looks empty," Alice said, sliding open a door.

"Hey Evans, Times."

The slightly obnoxious-sounding voice of Sirius Black greeted them. As usual, the Marauders were sitting in the compartment. Sirius grinned up at them, his long dark hair slightly tangled and a bit messy as usual. His dark eyes glittered with mischief.

Remus Lupin smiled gently, looking up from a textbook he was poring over, as Lily and Alice entered. For some reason, he looked paler and thinner than the last time Lily saw him. His light brown hair was slightly messy and his dark brown eyes were kind.

Peter Pettigrew, a rather mousy little boy with watery blue eyes and sandy hair, smiled at the pair as well. To Alice and Lily's surprise, James Potter, the fourth addition to the group, was missing.

"Have you see Rianne?" Alice asked the three, "Or Frank?"

Alice had recently been dating Frank Longbottom, an honest, tall, modest boy in Gryffindor. It was well known by the boys that Frank had harboured feelings for Alice ever since third year but it was only recently Alice had been returning his affections.

Frank was quite a good looking boy, tall with light brown hair. His dark chocolate brown eyes were always kind. He seemed like a perfect contrast to Alice, with her shoulder length dark brown hair and light, hazel eyes.

"Haven't seen Frank, sorry, but I spotted Rianne in an argument with her brothers at the platform. Something about slipping a Niffler into her bag or something," Sirius laughed.

Right on cue, Rianne stormed into the compartment door, looking slightly red-faced and very angry. As usual, her strawberry-blonde hair was swept up in a high ponytail and her exotic-looking green eyes were blazing with light-hearted annoyance.

"Hi Alice, Lily, Frank, Troublemakers," She greeted, substituting Marauders for her own choice of words, "Heard you've been made Head Girl Lily, congrats."

Lily caught Sirius and Remus exchanging looks.

"What?" She asked curiously.

"Nothing," Sirius covered up smoothly, "Speaking of which, you might need to go to the Heads compartment now Evans."

"Oh no!" Lily cried out, glancing at her watch, "I completely lost track of time! Bye guys!"

Her friends waved goodbye as Lily took off at a fast-paced walk to the first compartment in the train. And she was distinctly annoyed when she ran into someone standing outside the door.

Picking herself off the ground, Lily was startled and annoyed to see the familiar messy, jet-black hair.

"James Potter, for your information, this is the Heads compartment. And no, I will not go out with you," She snapped in a sharper tone than she intended to.

"Evans, for _**your** _information, I am perfectly aware of what compartment this is," James responded calmly, much to Lily's surprise, "And I was not, for once, asking you to go out with me."

She was further shocked by **this** uncharacteristic remark and was almost irritated to see the shiny badge, almost identical to hers, pinned onto his Hogwarts uniform as well.

"**_You're_** the Head Boy?" She asked, realizing, too late, how lame that sounded.

Has Dumbledore gone completely loony? What made him pick POTTER as the Head Boy of all people?

"Yes I am," James replied smoothly, his voice emotionless except for a slight smirk of amusement, which Lily didn't completely like, "And I gather you are Head Girl, so we should go inside and inform the Prefects of their duties."

000

"Your job is to patrol the corridors and looking for misbehaviour. We do not expect you to abuse your privileges or you will be stripped of your position," Lily concluded.

The new Prefects nodded and slowly departed for their duties. Lily groaned inwardly after that impromptu speech she had been forced to give. It was lucky James could speak and rant without a second thought.

The new Prefects… She spent some time reflecting on the fifth year students, the new Prefects.

As usual, there were two Prefects for each house, a boy and girl. The Slytherin prefects consisted of a sly looking boy with dark hair and cold, grey eyes. The girl looked sharp as well, with a long mane of wavy black-brown hair. She found out that they were Martin Engima and Stacey Kinhoone.

The Hufflepuff Prefects were marginally more pleasant looking. Lily was amused and delighted to find that the prefects were a pair of twins, named Brooklyn and David Witherwings. Brooklyn had looked really sweet with her brown hair in pigtails, her blue eyes sparkling. David looked identical to his sister except with short brown hair and more freckles.

The Ravenclaw Prefects looked like complete opposites, one witty and one dreamy. The Ravenclaw boy was named Edwin Xarlebure, a striking boy with dark bottle-green eyes and shoulder-length dark hair. He barely needed any instructions-it was like he already knew every single thing about being a Prefect (which he probably did).

The girl was called Diana Crescentline, an unusual surname. Diana's appearance matched her unusual name. She was slim and pale, with a misty and vague sort of look to her. Her blonde hair trailed to her waist and her protuberant blue eyes were dreamy in a shrewd sort of way.

And the two Gryffindor Prefects were Sameth Patil and Vienna Yerin. Sameth looked very polite and also very witty-with his dark brown hair and chocolate coloured eyes. Vienna looked very exotic, with creamy skin, long dark hair and dark green eyes. Lily, who knew Vienna however, knew that Vienna was as brave and courageous as Rianne.

Snapping out of her preoccupied state, Lily was led to their compartment with James at the head, breaking her train of thought. It took a few minutes for Lily to regain her composure but she was soon calmed and got a chance to look around at her surroundings.

The Heads compartment was significantly more luxurious than the usual compartments the Hogwarts Express had to offer-with cushioned seats and shining, dark brown armrests and a luxurious type of carpet with a crystal chandeliar dangling from the ceiling. It seemed a bit **too** overdone to Lily.

The compartment was clearly designed for two people, with two double seats and two wide windows on either side of the section. Lily felt very uncomfortable in the silent compartment-it seemed that James didn't want to talk for once.

The food trolley had been past several times (It seemed to Lily that it passed the Heads compartment more often) and Lily had already finished the three Chocolate Frogs and the Pumpkin Pastry she had bought earlier.

Sighing, she decided to go visit her friends. Anything was better than sitting in the carriage in the awkward silence.

000

_Say something…say something!_

The annoying voice was chanting in his head as he fiercely tried to swat it away. For once, he was at a loss for words. It seemed almost impossible to talk normally in Lily's presence.

He had noted that she looked even more beautiful than any other years. Her long, fiery auburn hair had been laid down; it trailed to the small of her back now. Her emerald eyes were so enchanting and her fair skin only brought them out even more.

He had thought to get started with another round of his trademark sentence: 'Want to go out with me?' as soon as they entered the carriage. But something had held him back from that.

The more he thought about it, the more James felt disgusted with himself. No wonder Evans had grown to dislike him so much-the question sounded so immature nowadays. Shaking his head, James decided to go back to the compartment with his friends.

000

"Why do you have to eat like such a pig Black?" Rianne's complaint was the first words Lily heard as she walked into the compartment.

The compartment was crowded. Sirius, Remus and Peter were sitting on one side of the room. Sirius was wolfing down candy and cakes at an alarming speed. Remus was reading again and Peter was gazing, dumbstruck, at the greedy way Sirius was devouring his food.

On the other side, Alice and Frank were sitting together, talking and occasionally laughing at some private joke of theirs. Rianne was glaring fiercely at Sirius, reprimanding his barbaric way with food. Lily grinned and slid into the seat next to Rianne just as a familiar voice was heard from the doorway.

"Greenshaw, he can't help it. He's had a love affair with food ever since the beginning," James Potter winked and sat down beside Peter, grabbing a packet of Berti Botts Every Flavour Beans. Lily found herself smiling along with Rianne as they all watched Sirius.

"Want one?" James asked, offering the box to Rianne and Lily and taking out a bean for himself.

Rianne and Lily both took one and bit down.

"Eurgh!" Rianne exclaimed, pulling a face, "Fish…I hate fish!"

James grimaced as he spat out the bean he had taken as well.

"I don't really like Grass flavour either," He remarked.

Lily bit down on hers, slightly apprehensive but relaxed as a warm, buttery taste flared up in her mouth. Savouring the taste, she giggled at the sight of Rianne's envious face as well as James' amused one.

"I got pancake flavour," she announced after finishing the rare delicacy.

"Figures," James said, grinning at Rianne, "The greediest one always gets the worst."

"HEY!" Rianne said loudly, mock-punching James.

Lily laughed as Rianne slumped back into her seat. Sirius finally looked up from his food, looking slightly sick now. James shot the two girls a worried grimace before turning to his best mate.

"Ahhh," Sirius sighed in a pained voice, sounding as if he was forcing himself to say something positive about the previous engagement, "G-great food…these H-H-Hogwarts stuff…"

He looked slightly green now as the Hogwarts Express chundered to a stop outside the train station. Just as well the train stopped as Sirius flung himself outside and promptly threw up in the rubbish bin.

Lily pulled a disgusted face as a whiff of the sour smell caught her nose but was interrupted as the loud, gruff voice with a distinct accent echoed from the giant figure standing at the platform.

"Firs' years! Firs' years this way!"

"Hey Hagrid!" Lily shouted over the loud voices of various students.

"Lily!" Hagrid beamed as the slender girl weaved her way to his massive form, "How ya' doin'?"

"Great thanks," was all Lily could say before she was dragged to a carriage, apparently still pulled by the invisible horses.

The inside of the carriage smelt faintly of mothballs as Lily, Alice, Rianne and Frank clambered in. Lily took a seat next to Rianne and was just about to settle down when the door of the carriage opened and James and Sirius clambered inside.

"Where's Remus and Peter?" Rianne demanded.

"Got pushed into another carriage," Sirius replied airily.

Rianne made an angry face but was interrupted as James asked, "Can we sit?"

"Suit yourselves," Rianne shrugged.

Sirius clambered over next to Frank as James took a seat beside Lily. The group sat in complete and undisturbed silence until the carriages came to a stop outside the castle. Upon stopping, Alice and Frank clambered out, holding hands and coming close to a snog before being pushed along by the rest.

Sirius immediately ran off to find Peter and Remus and soon came back with them, Remus looked disheveled and pale for some peculiar reason. The three walked in front, Sirius laughing loudly, with Peter trying to see what the joke was, and Remus smiling along with them.

Excusing himself from Rianne and Lily, James hurried up to catch up to his friends. Laughing with Rianne until they reached the great wooden doors that announced the Entrance to the Great Hall, Lily suddenly realized, with a confused jolt, something.

_She had spent nearly a whole train ride with James Potter and not felt disdain… _

_**Author's Note **_

_Finally an update! But no reviews! **Sobs** So sad! But I must thank the three reviewers who have shown their support! Thank you! _

_**Onyx Rose**- Thanks for your support-yeah, her in Ravenclaw just wasn't going anywhere. Some of the ideas will be incorporated though. Thanks for reviewing!_

_**Rikki K**- **Sobs** You review so faithfully I really should dedicate a story to you… I'll work on that. Lol. Thanks for your continuous support!_

_**Aurorablu**- Aiyeee! Teh Sierra-ness is back! Thanks for reviewing!_

_Until next time,_

_**Eternal Phoenix**_


	3. The Great Hall and Back

**Fate Intervenes**

**Disclaimer: **For all you smart people out there, we don't own Harry Potter!

Dedicated to

**TooSweet4Words **

_Even if we may drift apart,_

_Even if we fight,_

_I think we should just smile and forgive,_

_And everything will be alright_

Nessa, I hope we'll be friends again. This is from

**All **of us.

**The Great Hall and Back**

There was barely any time to dwell on things like a certain black-haired Gryffindor as the seventh years trudged gloomily into the cloudy-ceilinged Great Hall. Taking a seat between Rianne and Alice, Lily looked up at the Head Table.

The Table at the front of the Hall didn't appear to have changed. Professor Sprout sat, as usual, next to the hawk-like Madam Hooch who, in turn, was placed next to Professor Slughorn, the Potions teacher, who was beaming around jubilantly.

Professor Flitwick sat next to Professor Sinstra, the astronomy teacher, his face merry. But his smile was nothing like the Headmaster's. Albus Dumbledore was sitting in his Headmaster's throne-like chair, smiling like there was no tomorrow.

Lily spotted, as usual, the long line of nervous first years walking slowly up to the three-legged stool, lead by the Transfiguration teacher, the stern, strict but nice Professor McGonagall. Lily smiled as the stereotypical image of the first year's clean, black and a-little-too-long robes.

As the young eleven-year-olds milled around the front of the Hall, Lily noticed that they all seemed rather pallid and frail looking than the usual bout of nervousness. It was not only that, the first years seemed to have a glassy quality in their eyes-something the redhead had never seen before.

Professor McGonagall advanced to the front of the Hall, placing the frayed, patched and battered-looking Hat on top of the stool, at the same time, unrolling the long scroll of parchment.

"-and I heard, from my brother, that you have to make the Hat flip over using your mind," Lily overheard a young girl, with long, dark curls, whispering nervously to her friend standing next to her, "I've been practicing all summer!"

Lily grinned privately to herself as she saw the terrified expression on the other girl's pale face and saw the little girl twisting her delicately braided auburn hair around her fingers. The ridiculous rumours going around…

"Good luck," She whispered to the auburn-haired girl.

Abruptly, the girl jumped a mile as her aquantaince looked utterly flattered an older student was talking to the pair. Before they had any more time to talk, the Sorting Hat opened its wide brim and a song broke out in the Great Hall.

_Oh, a long while back when I was here,_

_When things were good and living,_

_There lived four wizards of the year,_

_Who were kind, brave and giving,_

_Gryffindor, the bravest heart,_

_Dwelt on will and a daring nerve,_

_Ravenclaw, she was always on par,_

_Overcame cleverly, the twists and curves,_

_Hufflepuff, where loyal workers stood,_

_Believed in loyalty, without suspicion,_

_Hiding with his cape and hood,_

_Sly Slytherin was the most ambitious,_

_Oh, what friendship did those four possess,_

_They trusted each other so,_

_So with their friendship came success,_

_A wizarding school they did grow,_

_But then they grew older and wiser,_

_A new problem they now did face,_

_Who was to carry with the Sorting,_

_When they were gone with grace?_

_So they devised a plan,_

_So clever it was,_

_They did it through the din,_

_Put me on and I will tell,_

_Let the Sorting now begin!_

As the Hat finished its song, a storm of applause lit the Great Hall with ringing sounds. The Hat grew silent again and Professor McGonagall stood next to the three legged stool and began reading names from the list.

"When I call your name, please come up and place on the Sorting Hat."

Lily caught sight of the scandalized looks on the two girl's faces.

"Abercrombie Stuart"

A small boy with dusty blonde hair scrambled onto the stool. The Hat opened its wide brim and shouted:

"_Gryffindor!"_

A wild storm of applause echoed from the people sitting at her Table. Lily clapped along with the rest and she saw James and Sirius clap poor Stuart on the back very hard so the boy nearly fell over.

"Aven Elle"

"_Hufflepuff!_"

Lily saw the occupants at the table to her right stand up and shake hands with Elle.

"Bedervich Zachariah"

"_Slytherin!_"

Lily looked to the table on her left and saw the unpleasant faces of Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Black and Severus Snape, smirking.

"Braider Lexi"

"_Gryffindor!_"

Lily stood up as the girl she had encouraged just then walked to the table, looking shaky. After shaking hands and giving Lexi an encouraging glance, Lily sat back down again.

"Branstone Steven"

"_Hufflepuff!_"

"Claudwell William"

"_Hufflepuff!_"

0000000

James stared at the long line of first years, amazed at the fact there was a longer line then usual, waiting to be sorted. James grinned as he saw Sirius glaring at his plate, as if demanding it to fill with food. A seats along, he spotted Lily and his stomach lurched, as though it had missed a few notches.

"Dobbs Xaviar"

"_Griffindor!_"

James clapped loudly along with Remus as the small boy walked past them and sat on the end bench, looking miserable with the cold. The names slowly dwindled past the L's as James caught Sirius moaning, "Hurry up…"

0000000

"Maelene Rita"

"_Slytherin!_"

Lily recognized Lexi's friend, the one who had talked about making the Hat do flips, walk along to the Slytherin Table, a look of content on her face-a look she didn't like. Lexi looked horrified.

"Myral Sally"

"_Slytherin!_"

"Nessa Sonia"

"_Ravenclaw!_"

"Netama Marina"

"_Ravenclaw!_"

"Orcas Evan"

"_Griffindor!_"

0000000

James shook his head slightly, clearing the sleepy haze that seemed to swarm at his eyes. He saw Peter, shivering from the cold, even though the candles made the whole hall seem warm. Remus nudged him a bit as James realized he had dozed off. They were now at the W's.

"Waters Raven"

"_Slytherin!_"

"Wilkensen Amy"

"_Ravenclaw!_"

"Virae Yvonne"

"_Hufflepuff!_"

"Yeran Vienna"

"_Gryffindor!_"

"Zolasse Tina"

"_Ravenclaw!_"

Everyone heaved a sigh of relief as the last little girl with pale blonde hair got off from the stool and walked towards the Ravenclaw table.

0000000

As the last storm of applause died down, Dumbledore rose from his seat and spread his arms wide, as though trying to envelope the whole school in his arms.

"Welcome! Welcome! To the new students, welcome to Hogwarts! To the old students, welcome back to another year of learning! Now, before we sink our teeth into our scrumptious feast, I have the usual announcements to make."

He paused as though waiting for the introduction to sink in.

"It has come to the attention of many that a dark wizard has risen in the Wizard and Muggle community."

There was a murmur of whispers as the students, particularly first years, looked fearfully amongst themselves.

"But I will assure you all that this school is no more dangerous nor safe as anywhere else in this world," Dumbledore concluded, the merry twinkle in his eyes returning, "So you should be no more worried here than you are at home. However, we will be adding more safety precautions."

Lily glanced around. Alice looked deeply scared, clutching Frank's arm for support. Rianne looked, or, more accurately, glared, at the Slytherin table for some reason. Further along, she spotted Lexi Braider and Vienna Yeran looking fearful. And the Marauders were looking more serious than usual.

"But more on that later in the term," Dumbledore said, correctly interpreting the change of atmosphere, "Tuck in!"

The golden plates of the Tables filled with foods of all kinds and, with a clatter of cutlery, the usual babble began as everyone started eating dinner.

"Do you think He'll really come to Hogwarts Lily?" Rianne asked, in a rather pensive voice for a Pureblood (Everyone knew the Dark Lord only attacked Muggleborns), digging a fork into her potatoes, "I mean, there've been more sightings of Inferi and more murders than ever."

"Mmm," Lily replied, a sense of worry entering her system with every swig of pumpkin juice, "I don't know."

"Dumbledore's the only persion You-Know-Who's afraid of though," Alice interjected anxiously, "He's going to protect us if anyone will."

They continued to discuss the probability of Voldemort attacking Hogwarts until they had finished dessert. Then, Dumbledore stood up again and addressed the Hall again.

"Now, I must remind you all from Mr. Filch's promptings that Withering Walking Sticks, Exploding Eggs, Fanged Frisbees and Stretchable Stinky Slime is banned, "He said, his blue gaze flickering over to Remus, Peter, James and Sirius.

"Also, no magic is to be used between classes. And First Years take note that the Forbidden Forests are out of bounds to everyone in this school. Also, please do not tread nearer than fifty feet of the tree in the grounds, known as the Whomping Willow. It is a dangerous plant."

For a fleeting moment, Dumbledore's gaze fell of Remus before it snapped back up to the whole school. No one, except James, Peter and Sirius knew of Remus's dark secret and even Dumbledore didn't know Remus had told the three.

"I must now ask the Head Boy and Head Girl for this year to stand and follow Professor McGonagall. She will go over a few basic rules and authority with you because I'm afraid the meeting is going to take longer than usual today."

Lily's face burned as, with an audible hush, everyone searched around for the two students with the most power and authority. Rianne nudged her and the redhead realized James had already risen and was striding to the front.

Unwillingly, Lily stood up and began walking down the isle after James, silently cursing her flaming face that matched her hair completely.

_Lily Evans and James Potter? _

The whispers were carried around as students craned their necks to see, gawking shamelessly as the two made their way through the side door. Leaving the curious gazes and smirking expressions on some people, Lily sped up out of the Hall until she realized she had unconsciously fallen in step with James.

Wincing inwardly, she steeled herself for another round of, "Want to go out with me?" pleads.

But to her immense surprise, James seemed as nervous as she saw, determinedly avoiding her gaze, speeding up. Lily blinked in surprise and quickly diverted her gaze so the two were left looking at the banisters as they made their way to the gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore's office.

_**Author's Note** _

_Sorry for the long time for updates to come. We've been rather gloomy lately and not really in for writing that much. Sort of a friendship breakup. So we're sorry for the lack of updates._

_Sorry again for the length of this chapter. But better out than in. So…the fourth chapter should be coming soon. The plots have been written down. We're just waiting for a day of inspiration and motivation. Well, thank you to the reviewers:_

_**Rikki K: **Sure…we'll be glad to help…if you haven't already found some other people. Sorry for this but we haven't checked reviews for this for ages. _

_Special **thanks **to: **White Camellia, Onyx Rose, Siriusly Black Hearted, dreamergirl86, Aurorablu **and **LJ**_

_Until the next time we meet,_

_**Ethereal Laeye and Moonlit Hikari**_


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